My Stepbrothers Forced Me to Call Them Daddies

CHAPTER 4

JESSICA'S POV

The heavy iron gates of the Vale estate groaned shut behind our car, locking with a final-sounding clang. I stared out the window at the sprawling manicured lawns and the massive, stone house that looked more like a museum than a home. My new prison or heaven.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Jess?” Mom chirped from the driver’s seat, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. “Robert says the boys are so excited to meet you.”

The boys. My four new stepbrothers. The idea made my skin crawl. I didn’t want a new family. I wanted my old, miserable life back, because at least I knew how to survive that. This was just a different kind of unknown.

The front door of the mansion opened before we even got out of the car. Four figures emerged and stood on the grand steps, forming an intimidating wall of muscle and judgment. I forced my spine straight, the defiant shell I’d built over the last few weeks hardening around me. I am not the girl from that school anymore.

Mom was already fussing with her hair. “Oh, they came out to greet us! How sweet.”

Sweet wasn’t the word I’d use.

I got out of the car slowly, my eyes raking over them, one by one, refusing to be cowed.

Sebastian stood at the center, the obvious leader. He was easily the tallest, with shoulders so broad they seemed to block out the sun. His dark hair was cut short, military-neat, and his arms were crossed over a chest that strained against his simple black t-shirt. Every inch of him was coiled, raw power. An alpha, through and through.

To his right was Dominic. He leaned against a pillar with a lazy, athletic grace, a smirk playing on his lips. He wore a tight grey tank top that showed off the defined cut of his biceps and the hard plane of his stomach. He looked like he spent more time in a gym than anywhere else, all rugged, sun-tanned strength and restless energy.

On Sebastian’s other side stood Julian. He was just as tall as his brothers but leaner, more refined. He wore dark-framed glasses that couldn’t hide the sharp intelligence in his eyes. His posture was relaxed, his hands tucked into the pockets of his perfectly tailored trousers. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a library, all quiet charm and unreadable thoughts.

And then there was Cassian. He stood slightly apart, his gaze intense and analytical. He was fit and wiry, with a runner’s build, dressed in all black. His dark eyes missed nothing, scanning me from my scuffed boots to the defiant set of my jaw. He had an air of mystery, like he knew secrets the others didn’t.

“Jessica, honey, these are Robert’s sons,” Mom said, her voice straining with forced cheer. “Sebastian, Dominic, Julian, Cassian… this is my daughter, Jessica.”

Sebastian’s eyes locked onto mine. They were a stormy grey, but as they held my gaze, something impossible happened. A flash of pure, piercing gold lit them from within for just a second. It was so fast I thought I’d imagined it, but a jolt, like a live wire, shot straight through my core. My breath caught. What was that?

His smirk was slight, almost imperceptible. He’d felt it too. “Jessica,” he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in my bones.

I refused to look away, my heart hammering against my ribs. Don’t you dare back down.

Dominic let out a low whistle, breaking the tense silence. “Well, well. The little sister isn’t so little.” His eyes traveled down my body with an appreciative leer that made me want to shower.

“Play nice, Dom,” Julian said, his voice calm and smooth. He offered a small, polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica. We’ve heard a lot.”

I bet you have. I said nothing, just crossed my arms over my chest.

Cassian finally spoke, his voice quieter but no less intense. “The estate grounds are extensive. I’d advise you learn the layout. It’s easy to get lost.” It sounded less like advice and more like a warning.

Mom clapped her hands together nervously. “Right! Well! I’m sure we’ll all get to know each other over a lovely family dinner tonight! Robert’s told me all about your famous Sunday roasts.”

The idea of sitting at a table with these four strangers, pretending to be a happy family, made me feel sick. No. Absolutely not.

I pulled the piece of gum I’d been chewing out of my mouth. I made a show of rolling it between my fingers before leaning over and sticking it firmly onto the pristine, white-pebbled driveway. I straightened up, meeting Sebastian’s gold-flecked gaze again.

“I’m not hungry,” I announced, my voice colder than I felt.

Mom gasped. “Jessica!”

I didn’t wait for their reactions. I turned on my heel, shoved my hands in my pockets, and stormed off toward the side of the house, leaving them all standing there. I could feel four pairs of eyes burning into my back.

I heard Dominic’s laugh first, rich and amused. “Oh, I like her. She’s got fire.”

“She’s a brat,” another voice, probably Sebastian’s, grumbled, though it held a note of something else… interest.

Julian’s calm tone followed. “This should be… entertaining.”

But the last thing I heard, whispered so low it was almost carried away by the wind, was Cassian’s analytical murmur. “Fascinating reaction. A complete rejection of the established hierarchy.”

I didn’t look back. Let them talk. I was done being the quiet, scared omega. This was a new life. And if they thought I was just going to roll over and submit, they had no idea who they were dealing with. A strange, electric thrill ran through me. For the first time in months, I felt… awake.